|
|
joewein.de LLC
fighting spam and scams on the Internet
|
|
"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam
The so-called "419" scam is a type of fraud dominated by criminals from Nigeria and other countries in Africa. Victims of the scam are promised a large amount of money, such as a lottery prize, inheritance, money sitting in some bank account, etc.
Victims never receive this non-existent fortune but are tricked into sending their money to the criminals, who remain anonymous. They hide their real identity and location by using fake names and fake postal addresses as well as communicating via anonymous free email accounts and mobile phones.
Keep in mind that scammers DO NOT use their real names when defrauding people.
The criminals either abuse names of real people or companies or invent names or addresses.
Any real people or companies mentioned below have NO CONNECTION to the scammers!
Read more about such scams here or in our 419 FAQ. Use the Scam-O-Matic to verify suspect emails.
Click here to report a problem with this page.
Some comments by the Scam-O-Matic about the following email:
- An email address listed inside this email has been used in a known fraud before.
- This email uses a separate reply address that is different from the sender address. Spammers use this to get replies even when the original spam sending accounts have been shut down. Also, sometimes the sender addresses are legitimate looking but fake and only the reply address is actually an email account controlled by the scammers.
- The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
- "abidjan" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
- This email lists free webmail addresses. Use of such addresses is typical for scams. Lotteries, banks and any but the smallest of companies do not normally use such addresses. Criminals use them to anonymously send and receive email at Internet cafes.
- dennisbangura@yahoo.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)
Fraud email example:
From: Dennis Bangura <admin@wijayacslt.com>
Reply-To: dennisbangura@yahoo.com
Date: Mon, 19 Jun 2017 18:36:07 -0400
Subject: We seek for Your Assistance.
Dear,
My name is Dennis Bangura From Sierra Leone but I am at the moment
staying in Cote d'Ivoire were we ran to for safety during the civil
war in my country with my sister Doris after the death of our parents.
I am 19 years of Age and my sister Doris is 16.
I got your contact from the international business information centre
here in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire and I decided to contact you.
My main purpose of contacting you is to seek your help in transferring
some amount of money which my late father deposited in an escrow
account with a bank here in Cote d'Ivoire to your country and for you
to help me and my sister to come over to your country for the
investment of the money which you shall serve as the overseer and the
continuation of our education.
If you are willing to assist me and my sister as I have proposed, then
reply me at this email address; dennisbangura@yahoo.com or call me on
this phone number: +22588629464 and I will give you more details and
explanations.
I anxiously awaits for your response. God Bless You.
Yours sincerely,
Dennis Bangura.
|
Anti-fraud resources:
